Pick a Day

James Brown is born in Barnwell, South Carolina, raised in Augusta, Georgia. His '60s and '70s hits like "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" and "Funky Drummer" break new ground with a percussive soul sound that lays the foundation for hip-hop when they're heavily sampled in the '80s and '90s. He's also an electrifying performer whose dazzling stage moves are emulated by the likes of Michael Jackson and Prince.

Saxophone player Maceo Parker is born in Kinston, North Carolina. He becomes an integral part of James Brown's band, and also plays with Prince.

Drummer Clyde Stubblefield, who plays on many of James Brown's recordings, is born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. When hip-hop emerges in the '80s and '90s, many of the tracks sample his drums, such as "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" and "Cold Sweat."

Bass player Bootsy Collins is born William Earl Collins in Cincinnati, Ohio. He rises to prominence as a member of James Brown's backing band from 1969-1971, then joins Parliament-Funkadelic, where he writes songs with George Clinton and comes up with otherworldly bass grooves that forge the sound of funk.

James Brown's group The Famous Flames record "Please Please Please" at the radio station WIBB in Macon, Georgia.

In the thick of the Cuban Missile Crisis, James Brown records his electrifying stage show for the album Live at the Apollo.More

The T.A.M.I. show (Teenage Music International Show) concert is held in Santa Barbara, California, featuring Chuck Berry, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, The Rolling Stones, The Miracles, Jan & Dean, Lesley Gore and Gerry and the Pacemakers. The concert is released as a movie later in 1964.

James Brown records "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" at the Arthur Smith Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina. It's Brown's first recording to feature Jimmy Nolen on guitar, who becomes known for his distinctive "chicken scratch" lead guitar playing.

James Brown records "I Got You (I Feel Good)" during his first session at Criteria Studios in Miami. It becomes one of his signature songs and introduces his new catch phrase: "I feel good!"

"Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" becomes James Brown's first song to cross over to the Top 10 of the Hot 100, where and lands at #10 (it peaks at #8 the following week). Brown's "new bag" is stressing the downbeat (the "one"), creating an unusual and very appealing rhythm.

James Brown breaks out some sweet dance moves on the TV show Shindig!, where he performs his hit "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag."More

James Brown performs on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time. Unlike most solo acts, he brings his own band, which allows him to provide the full James Brown experience, including the cape bit where he drops to his knees but is soon revived.

With tensions high the night after Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated, James Brown goes ahead with his concert at the Boston Garden, agreeing to televise the show to help keep calm in the city.More

James Brown performs at Richard Nixon's Inaugural Ball, even though he endorsed Nixon's opponent, Hubert Humphrey. Nixon is wildly unpopular in the black community, but Brown stands by him, supporting him in his successful 1972 re-election campaign.

James Brown opens the first two of his Gold Platter restaurants in Macon, Georgia. The soul food eateries, with dishes served on replica gold records, are envisioned as a franchise opportunity for black owners. The enterprise fails a short time later.

James Brown drags his road-weary band into King Studios in Cincinnati, where Clyde Stubblefield starts banging out a drum pattern. Brown makes it the basis of a song, which he calls "Funky Drummer." It's just a minor hit, but becomes one of the most sampled songs in hip-hop.

Shortly before a show in Columbus, Georgia, James Brown replaces most of his band (including Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker), which had complained about working conditions and pay, with a young group from Cincinnati led by the brothers Bootsy and Catfish Collins. It's rough going at first, but the band eventually conforms to Brown's vision and leads him into a new era. Brown calls these guys "The New Breed," and later, "The J.B.'s."

After a show in Nashville, James Brown takes his band directly to a nearby studio and records "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine." It's the first recording with his new band, which he hired in March when his previous group complained about how they were treated. The bass player is 18-year-old Bootsy Collins, who later joins the P-Funk family.

James Brown alienates much of his audience by meeting with President Richard Nixon in the White House and endorsing him in his bid for re-election.More

James Brown plays to 80,000 in Zaire, closing out a festival timed to coincide with the Ali-Foreman "Rumble In The Jungle," which has been postponed.

In the middle of a tour, James Brown's backup band, the J.B.s, walk out before a gig in Hallendale, Florida, complaining of being underpaid. Most of the band return to complete the tour.

James Brown appears at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, where he performs "You're Cheatin' Heart," "Tennessee Waltz" and the very un-Country "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag."

The movie The Blues Brothers, adapted from John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's classic SNL skit, premieres in Chicago. A love letter of sorts to '60s R&B and soul, it will help re-establish the careers of its musical co-stars, including James Brown, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin.

Rocky IV opens in theaters, introducing a younger generation to James Brown, who performs a new song called "Living In America" before a big fight scene. It's Brown's first big hit since 1974, and also his last.

The first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame include Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino.More

Freddie Jackson, James Brown and Melba Moore headline an anti-crack rally at New York's Plaza Hotel.

Eric B. & Rakim release their debut, Paid In Full, one of the first major rap albums filled with James Brown samples.

A judge rejects the defense of James Brown's wife Adrienne, who claims diplomatic immunity in an effort to get out of traffic tickets. Her reasoning is that two years earlier, Congressman Douglas Bernard, Jr. called her husband the "#1 Ambassador" as part of James Brown Appreciation Day. The judge doesn't go for it.

In Aiken circuit court in South Carolina, James Brown pleads guilty to charges of gun possession and resisting arrest. Brown was arrested in May after leading police on a car chase.

James Brown leads police on an hour-long, two-state car chase starting in Augusta, Georgia. Brown is arrested and eventually serves two years for a variety of charges.